


pauper's banquet

by Erisabesu (ErisabesuFic)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Angst, Canon Divergence - Alternate Ending, Diverges from ch 699, Emotional Baggage, Frustration, Journey of Atonement, M/M, Pining, Sexual Tension, Unresolved Emotional Tension, can't do anything the easy way huh, got a ways to go to reach that happy ending, no marriages, secret meetings, sns, so stubborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:29:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25413967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisabesuFic/pseuds/Erisabesu
Summary: "Sasuke does not permit any rendez-vous inside Konoha.  Sasuke does not necessarily permit any rendez-vous outside of Konoha, either."Happy Birthday Sasuke! ♥
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 14
Kudos: 78





	pauper's banquet

**Author's Note:**

> July 23 will always be a special day. ♥
> 
> Set during Sasuke's journey of atonement, around age 22.

**“pauper’s banquet”**

♦

Sasuke does not permit any rendez-vous inside Konoha. 

Sasuke does not necessarily permit any rendez-vous _outside_ of Konoha, either. 

Naruto has to find him first, follow his trail through countless towns and villages, incognito. In each new place he locates the seediest watering hole he can find, checking shadowed corners at the bar for any lingering traces of the chakra signature he’d know like his own, until one night he spies him on a barstool: 

Uchiha Sasuke in the flesh, sitting in solitude, a sweep of black cloak, long legs touching the floor. 

Their eyes meet. Naruto casually crosses the distance, stands close as Sasuke’s gaze dips down and up his civilian garb before holding eye contact once more. Then Naruto taps the bar with his bandaged hand, and orders two shots. He downs them both right off the bat. If Sasuke matches his order, tossing back his pair of shots as easy as he could genjutsu every last person in the barroom with Tsukuyomi, Naruto suggests a game of darts to whet their appetites further. The first game’s a draw, so they play another. And another. And another.

By the seventh round, the encounter can unfold one of two ways. Either Sasuke orders more shots at the bar, a pair for each of them, and the night continues on just like that. Booze and targets, a little intel gathering from the locals, easy camaraderie, hints of nostalgia in their quiet smirks, two top class shinobi posing as ordinary city dwellers and whiling away the best hours of the night, side by side, until the bar folds its shutters, and they go their separate ways once more. 

_Or_. 

Sasuke closes his tab at the bar without a word, heads for the back exit, and slips into the dark alleyway, letting the wooden door fall closed behind him. 

Naruto hurriedly lays a wad of cash by the bar’s ashtray and follows close on Sasuke’s heels, leaving the door swinging wide on its hinge, and not letting the other man out of sight for an instant. Outside among the dumpsters and alley filth, Naruto snags Sasuke’s wrist with his hot palm and tugs him into an even more remote passage between two adjacent buildings, windowless walls so close together that not even the moonlight can penetrate and illuminate the frantic necklace of kisses Naruto lays over Sasuke’s throat, like the man can be collared, tamed enough to let this unshakable bond between them kindle into a full blaze right then and there.

Sasuke knees Naruto in the stomach and bites down on the tip of his ear, slipping through Naruto’s fingers again and again. But Naruto won’t give up, won’t give _this_ up — won’t give _Sasuke_ up. 

Naruto is a master of the chase, cutting off Sasuke’s escape with purposeful footwork and swiveling hips, leading his one-and-only forward and back in a dangerous tango. The choreography of this hunt frustrates Sasuke to the point of bared teeth and muttered curses, but Naruto doesn’t give him an inch, parries his physical attacks and swivels into his guard, pressing in until he’s locked Sasuke against the concrete wall and lined their bodies tight. 

And then, a kiss. A full body kiss — from ankles to groin to chest, lips slanted into place, trapped breath, Naruto’s hands on the curves of Sasuke’s shoulders, Sasuke’s fist clutching the fabric of Naruto’s shirt and digging into the broad muscles of his back.

Naruto stills, savoring, then slides his hands up the sides of Sasuke’s neck to cup his jaw, reverently. He tilts his head, deepens the kiss. Sasuke nips his bottom lip, draws blood, but Naruto only moves his lips over to Sasuke’s cheek, smearing drops of red on his skin followed by the tip of his tongue, humming up to Sasuke’s sensitive ear. Naruto kisses the outer rim and tongues each inner curve and sucks on Sasuke’s earlobe, feeling a tremble in Sasuke’s knees where they’re squeezed between Naruto’s solid thighs.

Sasuke’s hand pulls roughly on Naruto’s shirt in protest, but Naruto can feel his lover’s panting breaths right above his shirt collar and smiles into Sasuke’s hairline, teething the side of his neck where it pulses like a jackrabbit caught in a snare. 

“Not here,” Sasuke whispers, exhaling puffs of air in irritation.

Naruto ignores this, and brushes his mouth up underneath Sasuke’s chin, sucking on his Adam’s apple. “It’s fine. Here’s good.”

Sasuke grabs Naruto’s head so they’re at eye level, a flash of red in warning. “ _Not here_ ,” he repeats. Then adds, “Idiot.” He punctuates this by kissing Naruto full on the mouth, sensual and urgent. 

Naruto lifts his brows, eagerly accepting the tongue that thrusts between his lips, but he is familiar with his lover’s diversion tactics, and is unwilling to be lured by Sasuke’s distractions for too long. He slides his hands over Sasuke’s pecs, and brushes his thumbs over Sasuke’s sensitive nipples. They stiffen immediately. Sasuke moans into the back of Naruto’s throat, and then he shoves his forearm against the front of Naruto’s body, seeking leverage against his bulk. 

“Just where do you think you’re going to go, Sasuke?” Naruto asks him idly, brows drawn, lips tracing feathery kisses along Sasuke’s mouth and cheeks while his thumbs rub steady, insistent circles over Sasuke’s pebbled nipples. “I found you. I’ll find you again. I caught you. I’ll catch you again.”

Sasuke’s troubled face is awash in crimson. His fist comes up inside of Naruto’s forearms, pushing outward to dislodge Naruto’s grip, his sharp elbow digging into Naruto’s chest. Naruto relents in a compromise and moves one hand away from teasing his chest, but only so he can scrape his fingertips down to Sasuke’s waist, and then squeeze his hip bone. 

They’ve held rendez-vous in countless places — cheap hotel rooms; caves high on a cliff; swaying, crumbling treehouses; on the soft earth of a riverbank; filthy back alleyways; slanted rooftops; underground hideouts; trespassing in shrines — the place isn’t what matters. Not to Naruto.

“Who cares where we are?” Naruto brushes their mouths together. “I just need you.”

“You can’t be serious,” Sasuke protests.

“I _am_ serious.” Naruto pulls back to stare right into Sasuke’s eyes. “Deadly serious. Sasuke. So you better get serious, too.” He tugs on Sasuke’s bottom lip to make the point, sucking it between his teeth. 

Sasuke emits a noise of annoyance, and then takes over the kiss, fingers gripping into Naruto’s hair to crane his head back so he can bend forward and use his extra height to his advantage, tongue plunging into Naruto’s warm, wet mouth. Sasuke takes a step forward, which backs Naruto squarely into the opposite wall, and Naruto sighs, pulling Sasuke closer and feeling warmth spread all throughout his chest as Sasuke’s kisses become less adversarial, and fill him instead with an almost painful sense of devotion. 

He groans, clutching the back of Sasuke’s tunic under the cloak until Sasuke lets up, both of them breathing hard.

“You utter _moron_ ,” Sasuke growls. He tosses his head so his hair falls back from his left eye, and grips his hand around the back of Naruto’s waist, which gives Naruto just enough warning to hold on tight before he’s pushed backward into nothingness. The ground falls away from under their feet and Sasuke teleports them in a fractured second to a pitch dark interior space that materializes like magic.

Naruto’s stomach gives a slight lurch from the journey and he braces his knees for impact, but the wooden floor is firm, steady. Sasuke steers Naruto to the right, hand on the small of his back, until Naruto feels the plush edge of some furniture behind his knees, perhaps a sofa, or a bed. 

“Sit back,” Sasuke whispers.

Naruto puts out his hands behind him and sits, feeling a coarse blanket and the give of a mattress under his weight. Sasuke’s hand comes around to Naruto’s front, using gentle pressure to ease him backward. Naruto crawls fully onto the bed, kicking off his shoes as he hears Sasuke remove the sword slung through his heavy belt, and set both to the side nearby. Sasuke’s knee dips into the mattress beside Naruto’s leg. Naruto can sense Sasuke leaning over him, and then there’s a swish of fabric — a curtain pulled hastily aside — and the light of a crescent moon filters past the surrounding trees and through the window glass in a soft glow. 

What comes into view first is Sasuke’s furrowed brow, and an expression so pained and raw that it stops all the air in Naruto’s lungs with a muted gasp. Sasuke stiffens. Their eyes meet. Before Sasuke can retreat or vanish, Naruto sits up and grabs hold of him with both arms, tugging Sasuke down beside him by the cloak, and wrapping him securely within his grasp. He throws a leg over Sasuke’s for good measure, and tucks Sasuke’s head into the crook of his neck.

Several tense moments pass, where neither of them moves. Naruto takes a half-second to glance around the place. It’s sparse, dusty yet otherwise clean, and has the air of abandonment and lack of modern conveniences similar to the Ridge Tower that Sasuke prefers of late. That Sasuke brought him here is something new, and Naruto isn’t sure what it means, but knows it’s not to be taken lightly. 

He chuckles to lighten the mood. “Jeez, Sasuke, just how many of these abandoned shacks do you have?”

Sasuke humphs into his neck. “Shut up.”

“It wouldn’t kill you to have some plumbing that functions, either.”

Sasuke head-butts him.

“Ow!”

“Shut up or get out.”

“I don’t even know where we are!”

“Serves you right.”

“Hey, after I came all this way to find you? Not a chance.”

“I never asked–”

“–I _know_ ,” Naruto snaps. Takes a breath. “I know.”

Naruto brings a hand up to Sasuke’s head, carding fingers gently through his black hair, and adjusting their bodies more comfortably. Sasuke leans his weight onto him, sighing quietly into his collarbone. When Sasuke’s muscles begin to uncoil, Naruto plants breathy kisses over the hair and skin he can reach, and touches the clasp of Sasuke’s cloak in a wordless question. 

Sasuke tilts his head to give him better access, and Naruto swiftly releases the catch and moves the cloak out of the way. The urgency from earlier has faded, though, so he’s content to hold Sasuke against him just as he is. To drink in the sight of him; trace his limbs, the contours of his face. To let simply being here in his presence start to heal the ache Naruto carries every hour they are apart. He needs this, to feel Sasuke beside him, to be with him, even if it’s just one night. The exquisite gift of waking next to Sasuke in the morning is worth whatever hurdles he has to overcome and endure while they’re apart. 

In time, Sasuke opens his eyes, and locks their gazes. He shifts his arm free from Naruto’s hold, using it to push his body on top of Naruto’s, bracing some of his weight. Naruto swallows. Those eyes seem to peer right into his marrow. 

Sasuke kisses him, then, with a surge of ardor. All pretense falls away until what’s left is the hungered glide of their tongues, the obvious bulges between their legs, the rutting of their hips, and the gasps for breath between deep kisses that steadily increase in intensity. Naruto arches into Sasuke, rolls his pelvis where they’re both hard and aching under their clothing, and then moves his hands between them to find Sasuke’s zipper.

Sasuke shifts onto his left side, caressing Naruto’s neck and throat while they kiss, angling his torso to give better access to the hand fumbling with his pants. Naruto opens Sasuke’s fly, slides his fingers inside to cup Sasuke’s hardness, touching him through his underwear. There’s a wet spot where the tip of Sasuke’s cock strains into Naruto’s palm, and Sasuke grinds into his hand, groaning against Naruto’s tongue.

Naruto strokes him with the heel of his hand, fingertips massaging over his balls, and reveling in the small aroused noises Sasuke makes against his lips. Sasuke’s hand tugs up the hem of Naruto’s shirt, fingernails raking over Naruto’s taut abs. Naruto moans, tongue arching over the roof of Sasuke’s mouth as Sasuke’s fingers caress over and down his spine, then slip under the waistband of his pants. Those fingers claw into his backside, squeeze into the firm curve with a hungry grip. 

Naruto shudders, skin prickling up to his neck. Then Sasuke reaches around the front of Naruto’s pants and snaps open the button, lowers the zipper, and shoves Naruto’s boxers out of the way, fitting his bare fingers around Naruto’s hard length. Naruto bucks, breaking the contact of their lips with a shuddering moan. He grinds into Sasuke’s hand, mouth on Sasuke’s neck, hot and panting like he’s been running in endless loops, which, in a way, he has. 

But they only just got started, so Naruto bites his lip, and pushes Sasuke’s underwear out of the way so he can fit his fingers around Sasuke’s thick erection, warm and heavy in his palm. Sasuke angles his chin and licks across Naruto’s cheek to his open mouth. Naruto seeks his tongue and sucks it right into his mouth, sealing their lips. 

Sasuke groans, his breath escaping through his nostrils as they kiss, and kiss, and _kiss_. Naruto’s body arches forward, and he slides an arm under Sasuke’s neck so he can tangle his bandaged fingers in that soft, dark hair. Sasuke lets go of his cock, then, and Naruto frowns against Sasuke’s mouth until he feels Sasuke’s grip on his left wrist, moving his hand out of the way so he can slide their erections together, skin on skin.

“Mmm,” Naruto moans appreciatively, Sasuke’s long fingers wrapping around their cocks.

It’s so warm, and feels incredible, pre-come leaking and smearing with every thrust — he’s missed this; craves this — Naruto worries he’ll come embarrassingly fast. He pulls back from the kiss and covers Sasuke’s hand with his, trying to slow them down. 

“ _Sasuke,_ ” he whines, softly. He wants this to last.

Sasuke just huffs a quiet laugh against Naruto’s throat. “Go ahead,” he whispers. “Take the edge off.”

Naruto’s cheeks flare red, annoyed at how the suggestion makes him shudder against Sasuke’s hand. He bites his lip, sensations building so quick in his loins he might not be able to stop it. Naruto transfers his attention to the column of Sasuke’s neck, biting gently into his pulse, and kissing up to his ear, where he caresses his tongue inside. Sasuke stiffens and inhales, sharply, then moans and shivers and starts moving his hand quicker between their bodies. 

“Fuck,” Naruto whispers, hand sliding to the small of Sasuke’s back and tugging him closer. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Sasuke echoes, pace increasing. 

Naruto pulls Sasuke’s hair gently, rolling his hips along with Sasuke’s hand. Sasuke gasps, brow creasing. He bites into Naruto’s shoulder, which hurts, but also feels so erotic Naruto can hardly stand it. 

Sasuke holds his hand still and they both thrust up into it, stiff cocks leaking precome from the friction. Naruto’s eyes close on a moan, his nose filled with Sasuke’s scent as the sweat builds up on his skin. Then Sasuke lurches into him, and gasps, and Naruto feels his lover’s cock twitching and spurting hotly against him. Sasuke’s hand tightens and Naruto comes, groaning, hips stuttering and seed spilling all over Sasuke’s fingers.

Naruto sighs, resting his forehead against Sasuke’s as they catch their breath. Sasuke’s hand strokes them both a few times past the level of comfort, and Naruto’s body jerks, their cocks too sensitive to touch for long. He hisses as the last drops are wrung out of him.

Sasuke wipes his hand clean on the blankets without much thought, and shifts onto his back, spread-eagled in the soft moonlight, still breathing heavily. 

Naruto mirrors him, rolling onto his back, and pushing Sasuke’s discarded cloak out of the way. His arm is tucked under Sasuke’s neck, and Naruto closes his eyes, and listens to the sounds of their breath in the empty room. His left hand smooths over the cloak beside him. The bed is big enough for two grown men, an unusual luxury compared to the thin futon in Sasuke’s tower, or the tree trunks at Sasuke’s back when he rests on his travels. 

Naruto turns his head to look at Sasuke’s profile, so regal in the soft shadows. Naruto swallows; his mouth is parched, lips dry. 

“Do you keep any water around here?”

Sasuke lies there perfectly still and languid. “Canteen on the wall. Well outside.”

Naruto rolls his eyes, and blows air across his sweaty forehead where his bangs are sticking uncomfortably. He heaves himself to a sitting position, and then gets to his feet, redoing his clothing. He finds the canteen on a hook and slips outside into the cool night, barefoot.

The area is remote. No dwellings, tilled fields, or any other signs of human interference with the natural landscape as far as the eye could see. Just trees and foliage, the kind found in grass country — a ten day’s journey from the bar where they’d played darts less than an hour ago. Naruto frowns at this. 

The well is around the side, fitted with a hand pump. Naruto rinses and then fills the canteen, and returns inside, padding across the wooden floorboards until he stops in shock —

Sasuke is standing by the bed, sword on his belt, cloak just settling around his shoulders as he refastens the clasp. 

“Wha–” Naruto starts, but Sasuke just faces him, expressionless.

“I’m taking you back. Now.”

Naruto’s heart clenches tight as a fist. He grips the front of his shirt, unconsciously, pain radiating from inside his ribs. 

“ _Why_?” he grits through his teeth. “We just got here–”

“–There’s no time.” Sasuke’s lips press tight. “I shouldn’t have even come here. You have to go back.”

Frustrated anger burns in Naruto’s stomach, igniting the seal behind his navel, but he tamps it back down, furious with himself. He actually let down his guard — how foolish. He _knows_ better. But he can’t help wanting more. He can’t help wanting _Sasuke_. This isn’t enough. 

It’s never enough.

Naruto exhales, muttering a curse under his breath as he opens the canteen and takes a long drink, gulping down the cold water to counter the mass of emotions writing inside his skin. He then pours some into his cupped hand, and splashes it over his face, rinsing the sweat from his skin along with any hope that he and Sasuke could have anything more substantial than this irregular pattern of secret rendez-vous, where he can just be dismissed like a teahouse boy after services rendered.

He puts the cap on the canteen and chucks it towards Sasuke’s head. Sasuke catches it, glaring, and Naruto ignores him, moving to the bed and feeling around under the edge with his toes until he locates his shoes. He sits on the bed to put them on, jaw tight, saying nothing. When he’s finished, he marches towards the door.

Sasuke flickers in front of him to cut him off. “Wait, Naruto–”

Naruto shoves Sasuke out of the way, palm on his chest, and keeps going for the door. 

“Hey–” Sasuke grabs for Naruto’s elbow, but Naruto sidesteps, shaking his arm free. Sasuke darts in front of him and blocks the door with his body, eyes fierce. “I said wait–”

“–The fuck do you care?” Naruto throws his hands wide, brow furrowed. “You got what you wanted, I guess, and now I’m leaving. So move, asshole.”

“Just wait a minute!” Sasuke snarls, shoving Naruto backwards.

Naruto cocks his head. “ _Why_? We’re done, right?”

“Just _stop_ ,” Sasuke says through his clenched teeth. “Don’t … Not like this.”

Naruto drags the fingers of both hands through his blond hair, so pissed off that he growls loudly before he can respond. “Then how is this supposed to work, Sasuke? Because I can’t fucking figure out what you want!”

Sasuke’s eyes shift to the floor. Naruto’s hands make fists at his sides, and then he pushes past Sasuke, wanting to get the fuck out of there as quick as he can. But Sasuke intercepts and corners him against the wall, angling close, hand splayed on the wooden paneling by Naruto’s head.

“You,” Sasuke whispers.

Naruto cocks his head, meeting that scalding gaze he knows so well. “What about me?”

Sasuke leans in so their bodies touch in a long line of lean muscles, calves to thighs to hips. “You,” he repeats, licking his lips. “What I want is _you_.”

Naruto lets Sasuke brush their lips together, and closes his eyes when Sasuke deepens the kiss and twines their tongues. Another kiss added to the long, long line of kisses stretched far into their past, stretching back to the morning they lost their arms… and even further back to the fateful day at the Academy. Naruto sighs his heartache into Sasuke’s mouth, along the sensitive roof of Sasuke’s mouth and then deeper into his throat, until all he has left is his resolve. There’s not enough nourishment to keep him from starving to death, so what choice does he really have?

He puts both hands to Sasuke’s ribs, palms aligned with the ridges of his bones, and then gently pushes him away. 

Sasuke breaks the kiss, cheeks flushed. Naruto meets his gaze, and eases out of his grasp. “If that was true… you’d come home with me.”

Sasuke stiffens, gaze sharp. “I… I can’t–I’m… I’m not–”

“–I know,” Naruto says, blue eyes dropping to the floor. “Shit. I know.” 

He scrubs his hands through his hair again, then walks to the door. Sasuke makes no move to stop him.

“Do what you have to do, Sasuke. When you’re done, you know where to find me. I won’t be doing this again.” 

Naruto opens the door, and steps into the black night. He sights a path through the trees illuminated by scant threads of moonlight, feet pointed towards Konoha, stomach empty and aching, chest hollow.

—

Ω

**Author's Note:**

> ;_____; Ugh. Does Naruto ever change his mind and resume the chase? Does Sasuke ever make it any easier to find him? I hate when they are going through tough patches but I do believe they eventually manage to figure each other out, take up the mantle of proper soulmates, and live happily ever after. ♥
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts. <333
> 
> I'm on twitter, come say hi! [@erisabesu3](https://twitter.com/erisabesu3) :D


End file.
